Medicinal Plants Used by the Batak Toba Tribe in Peadundung Village, North Sumatra, Indonesia
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BIODIVERSITAS ISSN: 1412-033X Volume 20, Number 2, February 2019 E-ISSN: 2085-4722 Pages: 510-525 DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d200230 Medicinal plants used by the Batak Toba Tribe in Peadundung Village, North Sumatra, Indonesia MARINA SILALAHI1,♥, NISYAWATI2, DINGSE PANDIANGAN3 1Departement of Biology Education, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Kristen Indonesia. Jl. Mayjen Sutoyo No.3, Cawang, Jakarta 13510, Indonesia, Tel./fax. +62-21-8009190, ♥email: [email protected]; [email protected] 2Departement of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Indonesia. Jl. Lingkar UI, Depok 16424, West Java, Indonesia 3Departement of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Sam Ratulangi. Jl. Kleak-Bahu, Manado 95115, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Manuscript received: 14 November 2018. Revision accepted: 28 January 2019. Abstract. Silalahi M, Nisyawati, Pandiangan D. 2019. Medicinal plants used by the Batak Toba Tribe in Peadundung Village, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 510-525. Research of the medicinal plants by the Toba Batak ethnic has limited, even though the globalization and modernization resulted to degradation of the local knowledge. The objectives of this study were (i) documentation of medicinal plants used in the traditional therapies by the Batak Toba tribe of Peadundung Village, North Sumatra, Indonesia, and (ii) analysing the data by quantitative ethnobotanical tools such as use value (UV), cultural significance index (CSI), relative frequency of citation (RCF) and informant consensus factor (ICF) to determine the cultural importance of medicinal plants in order to develop a tool for their conservation. Semi-structured interviews with 41 identified respondents was the methodology employed for qualitative data collection. A total of 149 medicinal species of plants, belonging to 131 genera and 55 families, were recorded in the study which are used in the treatment of 21 categories of ailments. Plants with the highest UV were Eurycoma longifolia (UV=3.44), Curcuma longa (UV=2.67) and Zingiber officinale (UV=2.60). Eight species, namely Curcuma longa, Eurycoma longifolia, Allium cepa, Psidium guajava, Aleurites moluccanus, Piper betle, Citrus hystrix and Uncaria gambir were found to be having the highest RCF value of 1.00. Eurycoma longifolia (CSI=126), Curcuma longa (CSI=112) and Zingiber officinale (CSI = 105) emerged as the culturally most significant medicinal plants. Thrush and aphrodisiac use categories received the highest ICF of 1.00 each because the informants agreed of using only a single species for each of these category. Eurycoma longifolia was used as an aphrodisiac whereas Averrhoa carambola was used against thrush. All these important and significant plants suffer the greatest harvesting pressure, hence their conservation should be given priority. Keywords: Batak Toba, Cultural Significance Index, Eurycoma longifolia, Informant Consensus Factor, Relative frequency of citation, Traditional medicinal plants, Use Value INTRODUCTION practices and products, such as oukup (traditional steam bath) (Nasution 2009), kuning and parem (powder or liquid Research on medicinal plants used by indigenous ethnic used for traditional massage) (Silalahi 2014), minak alun groups is very interesting and useful because it has led to (oil for traditional massage) (Purba et al. 2016), tinuktuk the development of many important modern drugs (Cox (traditional concotion for maintaining good stamina) 2000). The current modern pharmacopoeias contain about (Sujarwo et al 2014), etc. Some of the notable medicinal 25% of the drugs derived from plants while many others plants that have been used by the Batak include Eurycoma are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds logifolia Jack., Etlingera elatior (Jack.) R.M.Sm, Areca isolated from plants (Fabricant and Farnsworth 2001).The catechu L., and Curcuma longa L. (Nasution 2009; Silalahi Batak is an indigenous ethnic group of Sumatra Island, et al. 2015; Sujarwo et al. 2014). Some researchers found comprising of five tribes often referred to as Batak Karo, that elderly people possess more detailed knowledge of Batak Pakpak, Batak Simalungun, Batak Toba and Batak medicinal plants than the young people (Silalahi et al. Angkola-Mandailing (Bangun 2010). The Batak Toba is 2015; Begossi et al. 2002). The existence of medicinal the largest tribe with maximum population widely plants in nature and the life-long maintenance of local distributed in the highland of Toba District, Samosir in the knowledge point to the necessity of conservation of both Toba Lake region, North Tapanuli, and Humbang plants and culture. (Sujarwo et al. 2014; Menendez-Baceta Hasundutan. The Batak people use plants as staple foods, et al. 2015). However, most of the traditional knowledge vegetables, fruits, construction materials, spices, colouring about plants and their uses is fast disappearing owing to substances and medicine. various factors like socioeconomic and land use changes Since ancient times, the Batak tribes have been using (Segorini et al. 2009; Homerverge et al. 2014), increasing plants for the treatment of various ailments or in their use of modern pharmaceuticals (Caniago et al. 2008) and traditional therapies. They possess basic knowledge about increasing access to and use of biomedical health care the use of medicinal plants in traditional health-related (Ragupathy et al. 2008). Besides the loss of traditional SILALAHI et al. - Medicinal plants by Batak Toba Ethnic, Indonesia 511 knowledge about medicinal plants, the loss of traditional inhabited by 888 people belonging to 204 households of ecological knowledge is considered as a major threat to the the Batak Toba. They were the descendants of the Proto success of conservation of biological diversity (Keller et al. Malay, and have been living there since about 100-200 2005; Ju et al. 2013; Xavier et al. 2014; Sujarwo et al. years ago (personal communitation of the chief of village). 2016). About 99% of the population in this village are farmers, Various authors have conducted studies on medicinal practicing rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) agroforestry. plants used by various ethnic groups in Sumatra, including Peadundung village has a tropical climate with bimodal the Minangkabau (Ardan 2000), Rejang (Darnaedi 1999), seasonality of dry season from April to July and rainy Malay (Mahyar et al. 1991; Grosvenor et al. 1995; Rahayu season from Agustus to April. The average annual et al. 2000), Lahat (Harmida and Yuni 2010), Serampas temperature varies from 25 to 30C. (Hariyadi and Ticktin 2010), Batak Karo (Silalahi et al. 2013; Purba et al. 2016) and Batak Simalungun (Silalahi et Data colection al. 2015). But, no such studies have been conducted on the Information on traditional uses of plants was gathered Batak Toba tribe. In addition, there are no quantitative from a total of 41 informants, consisting of 9 key ethnobotanical studies on the rich ethnomedicinal plant and informants and 32 general respondents, ranging in age from cultural diversity of Sumatra. Such quantitative 31-80 years. These respondents were selected with ethnobotanical studies have been used to compare the uses purposive snowball sampling methods. Key informants and the cultural importance of different plant taxa in local consist of folk healers (4 persons), midwifes (2 persons), communities (Albuquerque et al. 2006; Camou-Guerrero et chief of village (1 person) and head of customs (2 persons). al. 2008; Guimbo et al. 2011), to evaluate which are the The head of custom is a ceremonial leader who comes from most important plants within a culture and to determine the royal line, but the chief of village is the village leader in conservation requirements (Homerverge et al. 2014; state administration. Information on uses and diversity of Albuquerque et al. 2006; Guimbo et al. 2011; Torre- medicinal plants was obtained from interviews using the Cuadros et al. 2003) and immaterial cultural heritage semi-structured, in-depth and participative observation (Camou-Guerrero et al. 2008; Sujarwo and Caneva 2016). methods, following the existing ethnobotanical guidelines In particular, quantitative indices, such as use value or UV (Martin 1995; Alexiades and Sheldon 1996; Silalahi et al. (Prance et al. 1987; Phillips and Gentry 1993; Albuquerque 2015a ). et al. 2006; Camou-Guerrero et al. 2008; Guimbo et al. Voucher specimens of traditionally used medicinal 2011), relative frequency of citation or RFC (Camou- plants were collected by way of exploration in the yards, Guerrero et al. 2008; Tardío and Pardo-de-Santayana 2008; agroforests, gardens, secondary forests and primary forests. Homerverge et al. 2014) index of cultural significance or and supplied with notes on life forms (tree, shrubs, herbs, CSI (Camou-Guerrero et al. 2008; Helida et al. 2015; ferns), local names, parts used, treatment and drug Sujarwo and Caneva 2016; Silalahi and Nisyawati 2018) preparation methods. The initial identification of voucher and informant consensus factor or ICF (Homerverge et al. specimens undertaken in the field and was later confirmed 2014; Xavier et al. 2014; Sujarwo and Caneva 2016) are by taxonomists at the University of Indonesia Herbarium, highly relevant in quantitative ethnobotanical study. They Depok and the Herbarium Bogoriense of the Indonesian provide comprehensive and comparable information about Institute of Sciences (LIPI) at Cibinong, Bogor, Indonesia. the use of medicinal plants including their